Government targets 26 regulations blamed for raising business costs
Thailand has opened consultation on 26 secondary regulations covering tax, labour, food, transport, health and public procurement.
- The Thai government is reviewing 26 specific regulations identified by the private sector as obstacles that increase business operating costs and hinder competitiveness.
- The proposed amendments span a wide range of sectors, including excise and customs, labor, food and agriculture, fisheries, healthcare, and tourism.
- Specific changes aim to simplify tax rules for raw materials, ease restrictions on foreign labor in industries with shortages, and make food safety and labeling standards more flexible.
- The Office of the Public Sector Development Commission (OPDC) has opened the 26 regulations for public consultation before submitting them to the Cabinet for approval.
The government of Prime Minister Anutin Charnvirakul is moving ahead with a broad overhaul of Thailand’s bureaucracy, including organisational structures, staffing and regulations that have become obstacles for individuals and businesses dealing with state agencies.
The reforms are intended to simplify procedures, reduce costs and strengthen the country’s competitiveness without requiring additional budgetary expenditure.
Deputy Prime Minister Pakorn Nilprapunt, who has been assigned specifically to accelerate the programme, previously chaired a meeting of the subcommittee on improving the ease of doing business.
The meeting approved key proposals from the Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking (JSCCIB) to revise 58 pieces of secondary legislation in support of the Reinvent Thailand policy and the development of seven future economic sectors.
The proposals will be implemented in three phases. The first phase will accelerate amendments to 11 regulations that are ready for immediate action, covering data links between government agencies, the elimination of duplicate reporting requirements and changes to rules that individual agencies can revise under their existing authority.
The aim is to reduce operating costs, processing times and expenses while giving businesses greater flexibility.
OPDC opens consultation on 26 regulations
The Office of the Public Sector Development Commission (OPDC) has now opened a public consultation on 26 pieces of secondary legislation identified by the JSCCIB as obstacles to doing business.
The comments will be compiled and submitted through the joint public-private consultation process. Provided that no significant objections arise, several of the proposed amendments will gradually be submitted to the Cabinet for approval.
The regulations cover excise and customs duties, labour, the environment, food, vehicles, fisheries, agriculture, healthcare services and public procurement.
Excise and customs rules
The JSCCIB has proposed amending an Excise Department notification on tax exemptions for raw materials used in further manufacturing.
The change would allow raw materials or products to be transferred through more than one factory while adjusting control and inspection procedures accordingly.
It also wants the normal retail price charged to general consumers in the ordinary market to be used more clearly when determining the suggested retail price for excise tax purposes.
Another proposal would separate perfume used as a manufacturing input from fragrance intended for personal application so that the tax rate better reflects its actual use.
The Customs Department has also been asked to issue a new order replacing Order No. 317/2547. The proposed rules would revise the use of depreciation rates in valuing finished vehicles imported for testing and remove restrictions applying only to vehicles from certain groups of countries.
The criteria allowing vehicles to be taken outside factories or bonded warehouses for performance testing could also be expanded to cover motorcycles.
Labour and employment reforms
The JSCCIB has proposed reviewing the Labour Ministry’s list of occupations prohibited to foreign workers.
Under the proposal, foreign nationals could be allowed to undertake jewellery polishing, finishing and gemstone-setting work, as well as health massage, subject to specified conditions and professional standards.
Both sectors have faced persistent labour shortages.
The private sector has also called for changes to the ministerial regulation governing the employment of people with disabilities. Employers could be allowed to calculate compliance according to hours worked rather than solely through a fixed ratio of disabled employees to the total workforce.
The Wage Committee has also been asked to consider hourly minimum-wage rates for certain forms of employment, including work undertaken by students, older people and part-time employees.
Food and agricultural standards
Proposed food-sector changes include reducing the frequency of compulsory health checks for food-production workers from once a year to once every two years, or setting inspection intervals according to the risk level of each job.
Food-handler training requirements could also be revised so that businesses would need an appropriate proportion of trained employees rather than requiring every worker to complete the course.
Food-labelling regulations could be made more flexible by adjusting requirements on label area and lettering size to suit different forms of packaging.
For agricultural products, the JSCCIB has proposed reviewing the Thai Hom Mali rice standard so that other rice varieties with characteristics and quality close to the prescribed criteria can be included.
It has also called for a review of the necessity of designated zones controlling the movement of rubber, alongside a simpler and fairer fee structure for rice-trading licences.
Fisheries and import-export procedures
The proposed changes include reviewing fees imposed on imports of aquatic animals and fishery products so they correspond more closely with the government’s actual regulatory costs.
Businesses could also be allowed to request an import exemption or relaxation on the day goods enter the country or on the following working day without incurring a fine or storage and detention charges.
Notifications issued by the Department of Livestock Development and the Department of Fisheries could be amended to eliminate duplicate permit procedures for the import, export or transit of aquatic animals currently regulated by both agencies.
A ministerial regulation on fees for animal carcasses could also distinguish between products intended for human consumption and those used as raw materials for animal feed.
Environmental and waste-management rules
The JSCCIB has proposed changes to an Industry Ministry notification on the management of sewage and unused materials.
Separate criteria would apply to products returned to manufacturers for warranty claims, inspection or repair, distinguishing them from goods discarded for disposal.
Under the present interpretation, a customer returning a defective or non-compliant product may be considered the generator of waste and become responsible for meeting waste-management requirements, even when the product is merely being returned to its manufacturer.
Tourism and aviation proposals
A proposed amendment to regulations governing tour operators and guides would exempt tours involving no more than 10 travellers from the requirement to provide a licensed guide.
The JSCCIB has also proposed reviewing Civil Aviation Board Regulation No. 101 to define more clearly the scope and conditions of extraordinary circumstances under which airlines are exempt from liability.
The current definition is considered too broad, resulting in some passengers receiving no compensation even when their journeys have been significantly disrupted.
Hotels, spas and hospitals
The private sector has proposed moving Type 1 and Type 2 hotels from List 2 to List 3 under the annex to the ministerial regulation governing occupational safety officers. The change would align their requirements more closely with the size and risk level of their operations.
The government has also been asked to introduce legislation supporting off-site spa, health-massage and beauty-massage services. Current regulations focus principally on services delivered at registered premises.
Another proposal would allow hospitals expanding into new buildings to count equipment located in existing buildings towards statutory requirements, provided the buildings are connected and the equipment can be accessed within an appropriate period.
The measure is intended to prevent unnecessary duplication of investment.
Public procurement of medicines
The final proposal concerns the ministerial regulation governing goods and procurement methods for products the state seeks to promote or support.
The amendment would allow government agencies to purchase medicines and medical supplies from alternative sources through a specific procurement method when an existing designated supplier cannot deliver within the required timeframe.
The measure is intended to reduce the risk of shortages affecting essential public healthcare services.
Full list of the 26 regulations under review
The 26 issues opened for public consultation are:
- Excise tax exemptions for raw materials transferred through multiple factories
- Permission for foreign workers to undertake jewellery and gemstone work
- Treatment of returned goods for claims or inspection under waste-generator rules
- Calculating the employment of people with disabilities by working hours
- Introducing hourly minimum wages
- Frequency of health examinations for food-production workers
- Training requirements for food handlers
- Determination of suggested retail prices for excise tax
- Excise rates for perfume used as a manufacturing input
- Guide exemptions for small tour groups
- Airline liability in extraordinary circumstances
- Occupational safety officer requirements for hotels
- Valuation of finished vehicles imported for testing
- Taking motorcycles outside factories or bonded warehouses for performance tests
- Area and lettering requirements on food labels
- Fees for importing aquatic animals
- Fees on animal carcasses according to their intended use
- Thai Hom Mali rice standards
- Fees and categories for rice-trading licences
- Designation of rubber-movement control zones
- Duplicate permits for importing, exporting or transiting aquatic animals
- Off-site spa and health-massage services
- Permission for foreign nationals to work as massage practitioners
- Sharing medical equipment between connected hospital buildings
- Relaxed procedures for importing aquatic animals and fishery products
- Procurement of medicines and medical supplies
The OPDC will accept public comments until September 17, 2026, after which it will compile the feedback and submit the proposals to the relevant public-private bodies and the Cabinet for further consideration.
Source: Thansettakij
